About Us

Our Mission

Create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Our Vision

All youth achieve their full potential.

Our People

In addition to maintaining the dedicated services of more than a thousand matches, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area employs over two dozen staff members who support matches in all nine counties.

Lillian Samuel, MNA

Lillian Samuel, MNA

Chief Executive Officer

Lillian Samuel is a trailblazer in her role as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, as the first African American to hold the position in the agency’s history. With a passion for making a difference in her community, Lillian has spent over 15 years working in leadership roles within the nonprofit philanthropic sector. She has a proven track record of success, having led teams to raise over $50M in revenue for large institutions including the University of California, San Fran Francisco (UCSF), Girl Scouts of Northern California and community health centers throughout the Bay Area.

Lillian’s career began as a buyer for renowned retailers such as Bloomingdales in New York City, The Gap in San Francisco, Cost Plus World Market, and Duty Free Shoppers. However, after years of volunteering on boards and fundraising, she transitioned to the nonprofit sector. Her vision is to support creating a more just and equity community through mentorship, ensuring young people have every opportunity to reach their full potential. Under her leadership, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area serves all nine counties of the region. In 2023, Lillian was recognized by the Marcus Foster Education Institute as a Visionary for Diversity – an individual who “embodies the belief that we are stronger together, we achieve nothing alone and bridges are the linchpins to our collective victory.”

Lillian is a proud alumna of the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her BA, and the University of San Francisco, where she earned her MA in Nonprofit Management.

Laura Gonzalez Reed

Laura Gonzalez Reed

Chief Impact Officer

(510) 439-2283

Anthony Spivey

Anthony Spivey

VP of Programs

650-242-2546

Joanna Reilly

Joanna Reilly

Vice President of Development

(415) 712-0611

Rick Ohren

Rick Ohren

VP of Data & Systems Administration

415-503-4047

Stacie Schlenker

Stacie Schlenker

Director of Match Support Specialists

510-725-5684

Adrianna Larson

Adrianna Larson

Development Director

(415) 854-7365

Shazia Hussain

Shazia Hussain

Director of People and Operations

415-503-3939

Karlynn Lee

Karlynn Lee

Partnerships & Recruitment Manager

510-575-0173

Sharmaine Sun

Sharmaine Sun

Manager, Marketing and Communications

510-405-8350

Marynoelyn Jacob-Oviatt

Marynoelyn Jacob-Oviatt

Program Supervisor

408-318-2333

Vanessa Dominguez

Vanessa Dominguez

Program Supervisor

415-503-4053

Ally Rosales

Ally Rosales

Development Associate

510-519-5213

Ana Martinez

Ana Martinez

Enrollment & Match Specialist

510-575-0113

Anna Carrizales

Anna Carrizales

Enrollment & Match Specialist

408-206-6085

Arthelle Porter Burns

Arthelle Porter Burns

Match Support Specialist

707-215-5015

Camila Nunez

Camila Nunez

Match Support Specialist

(408) 655-0228

Estefany Ortega

Estefany Ortega

Customer Relations Specialist

415-503-4034

Ginger Luna

Ginger Luna

Enrollment & Match Specialist

510-414-9645

Hector Amaya

Hector Amaya

Match Support Specialist

(510) 846-8431

Jahlan Loché

Jahlan Loché

Match Support Specialist

415-503-4351

Laneka Viney

Laneka Viney

Enrollment & Match Specialist

510-340-9289

Sami Rios

Sami Rios

Enrollment & Match Specialist

415-323-4074

Our History

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes and monitors meaningful matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 – 18, in communities across the country to develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect.

Bay Area Wide

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area has been providing Bay Area kids with professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships since 1958, gradually growing to represent all of the Bay Area regions, at large.

With the first major Bay Area merger in 2006, three separate Big Brother Big Sister organizations — San Francisco & Peninsula, East Bay, and Santa Clara County — integrated into Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area to more efficiently serve the community and meet the increasing demand for services.

In 2017, we merged with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay, which had been serving children in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano Counties since 1970, to further streamline resources. Effectively reaching the entire Greater Bay Area as a unified organization, we now serve children from nine counties in the Greater Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma.

Financial Statements

Your financial support helps kids to realize their potential, one relationship at a time.

The documents below provide detail of our carefully managed financial status. Every local Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its own IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements.

Careers

Make a Big Difference in the Lives of Bay Area Kids

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area is an exciting, fast growing non-profit with heart-felt goals. We’re committed to building a great staff: we offer a good benefits, competitive wages, and of course, a job that matters.